Valve-controlling mechanism for acetylene generators



April 22 1924 1,491,702

. H. G. IRWIN V VALVE CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR AGETYLENE GENERATORS Filed Dec. 12, 1921 Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF -Ice."

. HERBERT G. IRWIN, or AMARILLO, Texas.

VALVE-CONTROLLING MECHANISM ron Ac nemem uons.

Application fil ed December 12, 1921. Serial no. 521,827. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT G. IRWIN,'8.

citizen of the United States, residing at Amaconsumption of the gas to avoid waste and make the pressure of'gas constant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device 'offthis character which is simple in construction and which may be associated with acetylene generators of standard,

construction without excessive cost and without the expenditure of undue labor. 1

The above and other objects of this invention will be partly described and partly understood from the following description of the present preferred embodiment of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an acetylene generator embodying this inven tion, a portion of the invention being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the valve controlling mechanism per se;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the diaphragm which forms a part'of the valve controlling mechanism; 7 y

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the movable tubes which also forms a part of the valve controlling mechanism; and

Fig. 5' is a perspective view of a tube which telescopes the tube shown in Fig. 4 and forms a part of the valve controlling mechanism.

In the drawings an acetylene generator is shownwhich may be of the usual or any de sired configuration. In the present instance in order to illustrate the application of this invention, a cylindrical water tank 6 is shown in which is mounted a conica-l ly shaped carbide hopper 7. The upper marginal edge of the receptacle is bent over to receive acor respondingly formed portion on the upper.

marginal edge of the carbide hopper. The apex of the hopper is provided with an opening'to permit gravitation of the carbide from the hopper and into the water receptacle.

In order to normally close communication through the carbidehopper, a conical valve 8 is provided, which is movably, mounted in the opening formed in the apex of the carbide hopper. "The valve is'of an inverted cone shape and a stem 9 issuing. from its apex which is slidablv arranged through a guide 10. The guide 10 is supported by'a bracket 11 which latter is fixedly secured to theinner periphery of the carbidehopper. Thevalve stem 9. has its upper end extended beyond the upper end of the guide 10 and into a housing 12. A coil springil3 is convoluted on the upper end of said valve stem above the guide 10and is encaseolby the housing 12. This spring has one end thereof engaged with the upper end of the valve Stem and the opposite. end engaged withthe upper end of 'the'guide' 10 tono the valve 8 in a closed'positiom] Secured to the upper outer periphery of the water receptaclefi is a right angled "flange 14: which has upstanding, therefrom a plurality of-bolts15. These bolts: extendthrough a closure 16 mounted upon the top or the carbide hopper 7 so as to --c1amp the closure, carbide hopper and water receptacle snugly rmally hold in engagement. The closure is equippediwith with internal screw thread s.

A valve controlling mechanism generally designated 18 is mountedonthe closure 16 and in the present instance consists o'faflrelav tively short outer tube 19 provided with exa concentric upstanding nipple 117 provided ternal screwthreads which are engaged with the internal threads of the nipple 17. The tube 19' is provided, approximately midway it's'ends, with an annulus 20. "An elongated tube 21 is telescopically mounted in the tube 19 and is of a diameter relatively smaller than the diameter of the interior of the tube 19' so as to providea 'space between the outer I periphery of the tube 21 and'th'e inner periphery or the tube 19. The lower end of the tube 21 normally extends appreciably belo the-lower end or the. tube '19 and is equipped with an annular abutment 22lwhich iedaaghabh mounted c 1rfesp'oiidir-ig groovein said tube. An. annulus 23 '1s formed onsai'd innertube adjacent the upper end 'offthe latter. The annulus 23 is identical in configuration wi'thi the annulus 2:0 Sitioh'efd above the upper end off' 'the outertube 19. 'Movably mounted through the inner't'ube 21 is a sherbet the lower end of Wh'i dh ha sere'w'th'rea ds 25 formed thereon which engage corresponding threads formed rotated. The shaft 24: extends through a packing gland 28 detachably mounted on the upper end of the inner tube. 21. .A diaphragm 29 is mounted between annuli 20 and 23. This diaphragm consists of a series of flexible lates the margins of which are flexibly sea ed together and equipped with marginal binders 30 to produce a substantially unit structure which is normally e011- tracted due to its inherent properties and construction. .The upper and lower plates of the diaphragm have their upper margins bent over the annuli 20 and 23 to elfectively hold the diaphragm from displacement. The binders on the inner margins of the plate provide relatively large rings through which the tubes 19 and 21 are concentrically mounted.

In use of this device'the valve 8 is normally held in a closed position by the contractile action oftheispring 13. In order to permit gravitation of the carbide from the hopper 7 into the receptacle 6, in the proper volume, the shaft 24: is rotated therey forcing the valve stem 9 downwardly against the resistance of the spring 13 to unseat the valve 8'. The gas generated by the admixture of earbideand water is permitted to rise upwardly by the carbide feed valve 8 between the tubes 19 and 21 and into the diaphragm structure causing same toexpand upwardlycarrying the tube member 21 and shaft 2a allowing the valve 8 to close thereby discontinuing the feed of carbide. The diaphragm structure acting in the capacity of a spring against the gas pressure within themgenerator body, requires a relatively high degree ofpressure to fully inflate or expand the structure. Therefore, it will be seen that various de grees of pressure may be had by screwing the shaft24 further down which will hold the valve 8 open until enough carbide has entered the receptacle 6 to create a pressure sufii'cient to expand the diaphragm structurefurther and allow the valve 8 to close. As the gas is consumed from the generator the pressure is lowered accordingly which will tend to defiate'the diaphragm structure which'will open the carbide feed valve with obvious results. It will be seen that in this method .of construction the several dia phragm plates act in series. Each diaphragm plate expands away from the other, whereas the movement of one plate is augmented by movement of the others throughout the column -This action will impart a movement to the tube member 21 equal to the movement of the several plates taken collectively, which will obviously operate the carbide feed valve 8 by a slight variation of pressure. It is of course apparent that upward movement of the inner tube 21 is limited by the abutment 22 which will contact with the lower end of the outer tube 19 thereby preventing undue distention of the diaphragm. It will be understood from the above that the action of the valve controlling mechanism is automatic andis controlled entirely by variation in the gas pressure as above described. If desired a housing 31 may be sleeved on the outer tube 21 below the gland 28 and engaged with the closure 16 so as to encase the diaphragm and other elements associated therewith which are positioned on top of the closure.

Various changes may be made in this device without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention since I have herein attempted to describe only one form of the invention whereas the device is capable of use in other capacities with slight modifica tion. This form of the invention, however, covers the principle of using a vmechanically adjustable valve-to control the volume of carbide into the water tank, the mechanical adjustment being'servienahowever, to the automatic operation of the diaphragm under influence of the gas. 1

What is claimed is Y 1. Valve controlling mechanism for acetye lene generators, in combination with water and carbide chambers equipped with an in-' terposed normally closed carbide feedvalve, means for controllingsaid valve including a pair of annuli, a tube carried by each annulus, said tubes being telescoped and spaced to provide a passageway therebetween, a series of flexible disks arranged between said annuli and provided with central openings through which said tubes extend, said disks being dished to alternately dispose the inner and outer margins of adjacent disks in contiguity, the terminal disks of said series being sealed to said annuli and the contiguous margins of the disks sealed together, and a feed valve engaging rod carried by one of said tubes, the other tube being fixed on the water chamber whereby gas from the carbide chamber passes between the tubes and into contact with said disks to expand the latter and disengage the valve rod to allow the carbide feed valve to close. 2. In combination with a water receptacle and a carbide feed hopper and a valve normally closing communication between said receptacle and hopper, a stationary tube carried by the water receptacle, an inflexible disk mounted on the tube, a tube movably arranged in the first tube and spaced therefrom to permit the passage of gas between'said .tubes, a second inflexible disk 1,491,702 p r I 3 mounted on said movable tube, a plurality ceiving diaphragm, and means carried by of alternately inverted frusto-conical flexthe movable tube and in operative connece ible rings disposed between said disks, the tion with said valve to release the latter contiguous margins of said rings being when said diaphragm is flexed nnder the in- 1 5 sealed together and the terminal rings enfluence of the gas.

gaged with said disks to provide a gas re- HERBERT G. IRWIN. 

